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October 20

In now: Papaya and papaw have two moments of plenty, in autumn and spring. Because it’s hard to recognise a good one from the outside, look for well-coloured halves and store them in the fridge.

At their best: Asian vegetables form Sydney’s remaining market gardens are at their best in spring, when they grow fast.

Best buy: Most of our grapefruit is grown in the Northern Territory and Western Australia. The ruby red-fleshed varieties are in a sweet spot.

In the vegie patch: As the broad beans finish, pull out and compost the spent plants and use that nitrogen-enriched soil to turbocharge a crop of leafy greens.

What else:

seedless watermelon from Queensland and the Northern Territory makes a sweet snack

Sundowner apples are a late-picked variety released into the market now, when other varieties are fading

cucumber is affordable again. Eat raw, quick-pickled or stir-fried.

pick up some sweetcorn to barbecue

***Exciting news!I’m leading a garden tour of Holland and Belgium next spring with Viking cruises. We’ll enjoy the ease and comfort of a river cruise, (love that unpack once thing!) with plenty of great garden moments at the height of tulip season. It will be just a small group and we’ll have a ball. Read the full itinerary on the brochure here.Spring blooms with Robin Powell